Runner-up to India in finals:
Sri Lanka finish No. 2 in cricket World Cup
Sri Lanka cricket team finished No. 2 in the world after losing to
India by six wickets in the final of the ICC World Cup tournament
concluded in Mumbai last night.
It was so much near but yet so far for Sri Lanka which emerged
runner-up of an ICC World Cup tournament for the second successive time,
after finishing runner-up to India in the 2007 Final played in Barbados.
Electing to bat first, Sri Lanka made a challenging 274 for 6 in 50
overs with Vice Captain Mahela Jayawardene making a blistering century.
Sri Lanka was in full command when paceman Lasith Malinga removed both
the Indian openers Virendra Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar cheaply with
only 31 runs on the board in the seventh over.
But Gautham Gambhir played a brave innings and resurrected the Indian
innings, scoring 97 runs off 122 balls before he was bowled by Thisara
Perera.
It was too late for Sri Lanka to bounce back by then. Nevertheless,
it was a great performance by Sri Lanka to enter two successive Finals
in 2007 and 2011 and to finish runners up at the World Cup.
Excitement and joy over the prospect of a World Cup win reached fever
pitch in all parts of Sri Lanka yesterday as Sangakkara and his men took
to the field at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Although the match was being played in far away Mumbai, one could be
forgiven for thinking that the biggest battle in world cricket was
taking place in Sri Lanka - such was the enthusiasm of the local cricket
fans.
Incidentally, this was the first time that two Asian cricketing
nations featured in the final in the tournament’s 36-year history. Both
countries had won the Cricket World Cup once - India in 1983 and Sri
Lanka in 1996.
Cricket fans in Sri Lanka prepared for the big final from the day
that their team, led by Kumar Sangakkara, triumphed over New Zealand in
the first semi-final at Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium. In the other,
India beat arch rivals Pakistan at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, India.
Thousands of fans in Colombo flocked to the Galle Face Green to catch
the match on a giant screen. There was a carnival atmosphere at the
Galle Face Green, with papare bands in attendance. Screaming fans waved
the Lion Flag and applauded every run and wicket taken by the Lankan
team. Most of them had the Lion Flag painted on their faces. Similar
scenes were witnessed at all other venues in the City where large LED
screens had been erected. City hotels reported full bookings at open air
facilities which showed the game on giant screens. Several companies had
set up large screens in key provincial cities as well. Crowds also
thronged electronic shops which had a large number of LCD TVs tuned to
the match to catch a glimpse of the action.
A large number of buses, three wheelers and cars throughout the
country sported the Lion Flag. Fans also toured Colombo and key
provincial cities on trucks adorned with the Lion Flag. The flag
fluttered proudly atop houses, shops and commercial establishments as
well. Fans throughout the country had also organised impromptu parties,
dancing to the merry tunes of papare bands’ Sinhala baila. Total
strangers joined in these celebrations in true spirit of the game.
Millions also stayed at home to view the match on television. Viewers
in the North, now completely free of LTTE terrorism were also able to
catch the action for the first time as national broadcaster Rupavahini
had activated the Kokavil transmission tower.
Reports from the Middle East, Europe, Australia and the Americas
where a large number of Lankan expatriates said that most of them were
watching the match via Satellite TV and online.
Total television viewership around the world for the match was nearly
two billion, with the telecast reaching 190 countries.
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